NFL \ Monday’s news

Rams: Anthony Smith, a Hubbard High graduate, made three solo tackles, including one for a loss, in the St. Louis Rams’ 35-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Smith played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing with the Green Bay Packers in the offseason. He joined the Rams soon after being released by the Packers during the preseason.

Chargers: After his San Diego Chargers were dominated by the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, Coach Norv Turner can’t simply point his finger at one thing that went wrong. Instead, he’ll spend the open week trying to solve multiple problems with a team that lost 38-28 and is already two games behind the surprising Denver Broncos in the AFC West. “We’re coming out of a game we did not play at the level we want to play,” Turner said Monday. “To me, it’s a team problem, and we have to address it as a team.” Falling behind 28-0 and allowing 497 total yards might suggest that the Chargers were manhandled. “I would not use that word,” Turner said. “I don’t think that’s fair in terms of, I can take plays where one of the Steelers players was blocked and put on his back, and take plays where one of our guys was. We did not handle some situations very well, and manhandle makes it into something physical. And as many of our problems were mental as they were physical.”

Patriots: The New England Patriots changed about half their starting defense after last season. So far the overhaul has worked well. The latest success came in Sunday’s 27-21 win when Leigh Bodden’s interception late in the first half foiled one Baltimore Ravens threat and a stop on fourth down in the fourth quarter ended another. And one of Baltimore’s touchdowns came on a recovery in the end zone of Tom Brady’s fumble. “You only give up 14 points on defense, there’s something to be said for that,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday. “We’d like it to be less. We would have liked to convert on more third downs and tackled better, and there were a lot of things we could have done better. “But, at the same time, giving up 14 points on defense, that’s not bad defense.” Since last season, safety Rodney Harrison and linebacker Tedy Bruschi retired and cornerback Ellis Hobbs, linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive end Richard Seymour were traded. Star linebacker Jerod Mayo has been out since hurting his knee in the first quarter of the first game against Buffalo. But in four games, the defense has allowed just six touchdowns.

Raiders: The Napa police have finished their investigation into allegations that Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable assaulted one of his assistants and forwarded the case to county prosecutors. Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein on Monday said that his office is reviewing the report. “We are taking this very seriously,” Lieberstein said, adding that there is no timetable on when the review will be completed. Lieberstein also said previous reports of “an imminent arrest” in the case did not originate from his office nor the Napa Police. Police Commander Andy Lewis said police would have no comment on the specifics of the case. Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson was hospitalized with a broken bone in his face following the Aug. 5 attack that he told police was initiated by a member of the Raiders coaching staff at the team’s training camp hotel in Napa. Hanson initially did not tell police who his assailant was. His attorney, John McGuinn, told NFL.com last week that Hanson told police that Cable was the coach who attacked him. Cable denied the allegations in August and said Monday that he would not comment.

Associated Press